Groundbreaking

My name is Yoke Teong Tan. And I’m part of something groundbreaking.

There are two main reasons I find my job so exciting.

Firstly, my job puts me right at the forefront of new technology in our industry. I work in applications, which means we’re responsible for the value-added services operators provide. Services like text messaging, video calls and mobile social networking. We’re constantly inventing, so it’s a fun area to work in.

The second reason is something that goes right to the heart of what we do as a business. And that’s about connecting people all over the world, wherever they are.

In the countries where we operate, like the Philippines, Indonesia and India, cost has ceased to be a barrier to mobile communications. For many people in these countries, the mobile phone is opening up the world of the internet for the first time. It’s exciting to be part of that revolution.

Where I work, in the Asia-Pacific region, I get to see the impact of mobile communications and the internet first hand. In India for example, the internet is helping farmers bypass the middlemen by giving them access to real-time market rates for their produce. Then there’s mobile micro-banking, which is transforming the way people manage their money.

Location-based services for targeted disaster warnings are another great innovation. For example, new text alert services are being developed that can warn people in low-lying villages about potential flooding before it happens, giving them time to reach higher ground.

Of course, there is a huge appetite for entertainment in Asia. And our mobile services are helping to satisfy that demand too. Everyone from cab drivers to office workers download music on their cellphones these days.

So it’s great to be involved in creating new mobile services. But it’s even better to know that these services are helping to bring real improvements to people’s lives.